Monday, March 05, 2007

When Life Gives You Lemons Make Lemonade.



Who knew that lemon's were so lovely and yet so impossible a fruit with such versatile uses except, of course, to be eaten raw by most adults. This picture is of a toddler I know who had no trouble devouring her half of the lemon. Her twin brother had no trouble eating his half. I wonder why toddlers don't seem to mind the intense sourness of the fruit, while most adults I know can't tolerate it. Read the following:

When I was just a lad of ten, my father said to me
"Come here and take a lesson from the lovely Lemon Tree"
"Don't put your faith in love, my boy" my father said to me
"I fear you'll find that love is like the lovely Lemon Tree"

Lemon Tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat
Lemon Tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat

One day beneath the Lemon Tree, my love and I did lie
A girl so sweet that when she smiled the stars rose in the sky
We passed that summer lost in love beneath the lemon tree
the music of her laughter hid my father's words from me

Lemon Tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat
Lemon Tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat

One day she left without a word. She took away the sun
And in the dark she left behind, I knew what she had done
She'd left me for another, it's a common tale but true
A sadder man but wiser now I sing these words to you

Lemon Tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat
Lemon Tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat

(According to Wikipedia, Will Holt wrote this song. Peter, Paul and Mary recorded as well as a number of other artists.)

and............


Lemon trees bloom and produce fruit year-round. Each tree can produce between 500 and 600 pounds of lemons in a year.


Next time you have a sore throat, reach for a lemon!
Add the juice of one lemon to an equal amount of hot water for an anti-bacterial gargle.


Food historians say lemons have been in cultivation around the Mediterranean from as early as the first century A.D.


High in vitamin C, lemons prevent scurvy, a disease that causes bleeding gums, loose teeth and aching joints. To this day, the British Navy requires ships to carry enough lemons so that every sailor can have one ounce of juice a day.


The demand for lemons and their scurvy-preventing properties hit a peak during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Miners were willing to pay huge sums for a single lemon. As a result, lemon trees were planted in abundance throughout California.


During the European Renaissance, fashionable ladies used lemon juice as a way to redden their lips.


California and Arizona produce 95% of the entire U.S. lemon crop.
(from Sunkist.com)

and............

(From USHistory.org/franklin/fun/lemon)

Did you know you can make electricity without a battery or a generator? You can make a small amount of electricity with a lemon. To make a lemon battery and feel the electric "juice" flow, just read the materials and procedure.

Materials
You'll need these materials to make the Lemon Battery:

1 fresh lemon
1 sharp knife
1 dime and 1 penny. Or you can use a zinc and copper strips
1 adult helper

Procedure

1. Shake and roll the lemon on a table to "activate" the juices in the lemon.
2. cut two small slices in the lemon about 1/2 inch apart. The penny and dime will go in these slits.
3. Place your penny into one slot and your dime into the other slot.
4. With your tongue touch both the penny and the dime at the same time. Can you feel anything? Maybe a tingling?

How It Works

The acid in the lemon reacts differently with each of the two metals. One of the coins contains positive electric charges, while the other contains negative electric charges. These charges create current, which will flow if the battery circuit is complete. Your tongue acts like a wire and conducts the charges, making the circuit complete. The complete electric circuit causes a small amount of electricity to flow, which causes the sensation on your tongue. Regular batteries are very similar to your lemon battery. Good Job!

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